Mohammed Merah, the Muslim murderer, was cornered and killed yesterday in France. He had shocked France and the world with his ruthless killings at a Jewish school. Among the dead were Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, and his sons Gavriel and Aryah.
This remarkable open letter was recently released by the wife and mother of these innocent victims.
People often talk about how religious conservatives are divisive, sparking passions that threaten to burst into open conflicts. Mrs. Sandler’s letter suggests otherwise. Faced with the horrible darkness of death—and not just death but vicious, violent murder—her message to us is that of Moses: Choose life!
We need policemen, and I’m grateful that Merah was tracked down. But Mrs Sandler’s letter strikes a remarkable blow—the most powerful imaginable blow–against the substance and spirit of Mohammed Merah’s deeds.
March 24th, 2012 | 10:39 am
I agree with your response to Mrs. Sandler’s letter.
But, I can’t help but ask why you made it a point to describe Merah as “the Muslim murderer”? Had you written about Anders Breivik, the man who committed the massacre in Norway last year, would you have described him as a “Christian murderer” at the beginning of your very first sentence? He did, after all, identify himself as a Christian and as a defender of Christian Europe.
March 24th, 2012 | 4:43 pm
Reminds me of the immediate Amish response of mercy, forgiveness and grace to the Pennsylvania shooting of 11 school girls (5 killed) back in OCT 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/us/03amish.html?pagewanted=all
March 24th, 2012 | 8:12 pm
Mrs. Sandler has a heart of faith, hope, and most importantly, love. Her open letter captures salvation so well: the body can be destroyed, sent to concentration camps and gulags but the soul lives and returns to the Beloved.
@ Peter S., it may be politically incorrect to say that Merah was a Muslim murderer but it is the truth. He followed the numerous anti-Semitic passages in the Qur’an that calls for violence, war, and subjugation against Jews.
In charity, I know there are moderate Muslims that, perhaps with great prayer, dialogue, and mental gymnastics have reconciled the violent passages.
Would you please defend that Anders Breivik is a Christian? Where in Sacred Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) teaches a human being to persecute and kill “non-believers”?
March 25th, 2012 | 12:18 am
Dean,
I agree with you.
Jay,
I did not say that Anders Breivik “is” a Christian, and I have no interest in trying to make a case that he is one. In truth I cannot know. Only God knows that. His actions were not in keeping with the Christian faith. However, my point was that he “identified” himself as a Christian in the same way that Merah identified himself as a Muslim.
It is not “politically correct” to note that history is full of acts of hatred, violence and persecution committed in the names of both Christianity and of Islam. Each of these religions has been exploited and used to provoke and justify the commission of acts of violence against people of other faiths and of those they considered to be apostates within their own religion.
In my view, most of this comes from political exploitation and manipulation of religion, not from the faiths themselves, but that’s an argument that could go on ad nauseum. The most surefire way to create an “us” is to have a “them”.
As one example, how much of the conflict in Northern Ireland was/is really about religion?
I am not going to try to proof text either the Christian Scriptures or the Qu’ran.
March 27th, 2012 | 12:14 am
Peter S.,
Thank you for replying.
I am still puzzled why you find it an issue that Merah was described by R.R. Reno as a Muslim murderer when, as I said previously, he identified and practiced Islam, spent time training with al-Qaeda, and followed the Qur’an’s anti-Semitic passages.
I agree that people throughout history exploit and manipulate religion. However, nowhere in sacred Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) calls for persecuting, subjugating, and killing Christians and non-Christians. Christ Jesus calls each of us to love one another as he loved us (cf. John 13:34). When a man like Anders Breivik killed and injured many people, he is going against sacred Scripture. As to whether he is a Christian, my reading has lead me to conclude that Breivik, at best, is a cultural Christian; invigorated by the history of the Knights Templar.
It can be argued that social, cultural and economic conditions influenced Merah’s disgusting and vile actions but it ignores the elephant in the room: the Qur’an has various passages that commands Muslims to violence towards non-Muslims, polytheists, apostates, and especially Jews. Merah’s actions of murdering the Rabbi and his children is supported by the Qur’an.
If one looks at the development of Islam, starting with Muhammad, the religion spread by force and submission. For example, when Muhammad and his followers were strong enough, they attacked and expelled the Arab Jews residing in Medina, taking their properties.
In contrast, people were attracted and drawn to Christ Jesus because of the love and redemption he radiated. People may manipulate Christianity, but since the beginning, it instructed its followers to love everyone.
There are brave Muslims like Irshad Manj, who risk their life to bring reason and reform to their Muslim faith. She wrote an article last year acknowledging the violent passages against non-Muslims in the Qur’an and argues that Muslims can no longer ignore the issue, which “…strips Muslims of the ability to be introspective and, therefore, free.” [The article can be found here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703992704576305412360432744.html
Peace be with you.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact